Omaha daily bee., 1887-01-05

country are on better footing than they
were year ago, and merchants every
where are looking hopefully forward to
q resumption Of hcathful activity early
in the new year. The improvement that
has taken place within the last six months
amply iustiics the confidence and cheer.
full forecast of business mon, and all the
signs of the times favor the expectation
of sustained activity in trade and II
further expansion of Industrial enter
priscs during the coming year. There
has been very little activity in the cotton
or wool markets the past week. Cotton
prices are a shade stronger, as result Of
some contract covering over the holi-
days and the expectation of a lighter run
of receipts this week. The movement
TO the ports has been smaller than it was
one week ago, but in excess of the CORE.
spending period last year. Wool has
continued very duh, and there Is less con.
tidcncc am ong holders of fine flceccs and
territory clips, but other descriptions are
very firmly held. Manufacturers are
buying cautiously and are evidently
awaiting developments in the goods
trade which is about entering upon an
other season. Prices of heavy woolen
and worsted fabrics for next seasons
trade Will probably be fixed during the
next week or ten days but indications ut
the moment point to little il any advance
from the figures current year ago.
The grain trade has been exceptionally
active for the holiday season, although
| quicter than it was in the earlier weeks of
the month. Values have been we'll sup
| ported and closed strong and higher. The
| rise in wheat prices has been II cents per
bushcl in Chicago and g cents per
| bushel on the scaboard. The strength is
| due IN part to speculation, but the spec.
ulators foi n rise have had substantial
backing from the strong foreign advlces
and the improved condition and prospects
| of the export trade. A very large
| business has been done in wheat for ex-
| port since the middle of November, and
| in addition to the liberal shipments of the
| past month the contracts put out at that
| time call for heavy clearanccs from all
Atlantic ports during January and
| February. The business of the past week
has been comparatively moderate, but was
much larger than had been expected dur
| ing the holidays and this, together with tho
knowledge of large export engagements
already outstanding and the disturbed
condition of political affairs in Europe,
has enabled the bull interest to retain
control of the market in spite of pcrsis
tent hammCring by boarishly inclined
traders in Chicago. Corn prices have
advanced to cent per bushel owing to
tbn yolpi.,nf Ia intnriCr mn ont oN1 thn
rise in the markets for hog products,
but there has been little speculative ac
tivity and only Il moderate trade on for
cign orders. Provisions have been active
speculatiyely, but the legitimate trade
movement has been seasonably quiet.
The Chicago market shows net advances
for the week of 52t cents per barrel III
pork and 32I cents per 100 pounds in
lard, which were due chiefly to specula-
tive buying, stimulated by light receipts
| of hogs and the reduction OF packing op-
erations in the west, Exports have
about cQualed the volume of the same
week last year in meats, and show an in
crease OF 2,0)O, 900 pounds in lard.
---.--s.-+----.------->----
The first reports from the Texas drouth
district, upon which some doubt was
thrown by subsequent dispatches cyi-
IDENTITY did not IN the least eXaggeratc.
but rather understated the extent of the
calamity and suffering there. We have
| seen Il private letter from resident of
| the district which states that the sltua-
| ton is most dcplorablc, and the writer
says: "God only knows how the many
| unfortunate people of this section can be
| cared for during the winter" A dispatch
| from Fort Worth of January Sd stated
| that q 600 persons, spread over twenty
one counties, were reported to be in des-
titute condition. In each of these cOun-
ties there had been partial, and in many
| parts complete, failure of all crops.
There was already an imperative need of
food and clothing, and this of course
| grows steadily more pressing, A relief
| bill WAS introduced in congress before
the holiday adjournment, and of course
the state legislature will make some pro-
vision. There viii, however, be n de-
mand upon the charity of the country,
and the case seems to require a prompt
and generous response. A population of
nearly thirty thousand wanting all the
ncceSsarics of life makes an eytraordi-
nary reQuisitIon upon public charity, but
when the necessity is known to be real
and urgent the liberalIty of the American
people will not fail.
| MIR. POPPLEToN failed in his endeavor
to commit the charter committee to the
scheme of having the city printing let
without regard to the circulation of the
paper in which it was printed Mr.
| Dn,nnlntn,, nr a In,uunr ,rna hnnbilncc GO